Speed is all that matters
by Fulminis ictus
Summary: A story about a young man from Germany, who is like a complete greenhorn in the American street racing scene and how he fares in it.


Hi there folks, this is my first attempt at a fanfic and I seriously hope, that I'll be able to entertain the whole lot of you greatly. Feel free to hand in your reviews, whether they may be praisings or flames, that doesn't matter to me, as long I get to get my reviews ! :-)  
  
Standard Disclaimer being the fact that I don't own or possess any aspect of The Fast and the Furious, as well as 2 Fast 2 Furious, so please don't sue me, a poor author who simply uses both movies as backgrounds for this story.  
  
Speed is all that matters...  
  
Chapter One: Leaving Germany for the US  
  
The floor was dirty and the air was contaminated with odors ranging from the smell of oil to rubber. There were several cars in the quite large room, which was no wonder since it was a garage and these cars needed a repair desperately. Men were hurrying hither an thither, others were working on the cars and there were even some who were lying under the cars in order to repair whatever was in need of being fixed.  
  
Amidst all this noise in the garage stood a stubby, fat man, who sreamed at the working men to hurry up their work and threatened to fire them if they didn't do as he said here and there. It seemed that he was furious at something and needed to vent his anger at anybody who made himself available. His right hand was clenched around a piece of paper, seemingly a letter. As far as one could see this letter seemed to be the reason behind the man's fury. He strutted into a certain direction and looked right and left at the working men until he at last arrived at his destination.  
  
"Yo, boy ! Get outta there !", he roared then and tapped his left foot on the floor. The car he stood in front of was an expensive looking Porsche 911 and two legs were sticking out under the floor of the car. Now they moved slightly here and there, indicating that the person under the car was stopping his work and just laid the tools on the floor. Then the called one removed himself from under the car and stood up. He was tall, about 6' 10", was donned with blue suspenders and a black t-shirt. He had platin blonde hairs and steelblue colored eyes and his face was smeared with grease and dirt, but he nevertheless managed to look good in a boyish manner.  
  
"Yes Mr. Brugger ? What is it that you wish to discuss with me ?", he politely asked his boss.  
  
"Why, Mr. Schell, care to explain the meaning of this ?", the stubby man exclaimed and waved the letter in front of the tall young man.  
  
"Well, you see Mr. Brugger, after finally having finished my training to be an car mechanic, I just felt that I need to move on, if you don't mind.", he replied politely.  
  
"Well, my boy, did you really think long and hard about this matter ?", Mr. Brugger asked.  
  
"Yeah, Boss, I really thought long and hard about this and I've decided to do it.", he said and looked directly at Mr. Brugger.  
  
"I'm sorry to lose such a fine man as yourself Mr. Schell, but I think like the proverbs that says it so well: You shouldn't stop travelers.", looking at young man thoroughly he added then: "Very well, then finish with this car and then proceed to go home."  
  
Having said this Mr. Brugger briskly turned around and retreated back to his bureau. At first the youngling stood there at a loss, until he scrambled his wits together and returned back under the Porsche's floor and finished his work. Then he stood up, cleaned himself and the tools. After he returned the tools to the places where they belonged to he went on to the changing room. There he changed his attire from the dirty suspenders and the dirty t-shirt to a pair of comfortable cargo pants and a white muscleshirt.  
  
Having finished dressing himself he cleared out his booth and packed his belongings into a plastic bag and after a last inspection and a silent farewell to it he left it. His farewell to the colleagues was short, since he didn't really get to know his colleagues at the garage.  
  
Outside the garage he took a bus to his home, where he unpacked his items from the plastic bag and threw the most of it into the washing-machine and started it. While the washing-machine cleaned his belongings he went into the living-room, where he picked up the green card, he had won several weeks ago in a lottery organized by the US.  
  
This is my ticket to freedom and enternal possibilities. May fortune be nice to me.  
  
Some days ago he had bought a one-way flight to the USA with a major airline from Germany and the departure was scheduled to the late evening of this very day. At 11 p.m. he was supposed to be at the airport and to have checked in, now his wristwatch showed him that it was 6 p.m..  
  
Plenty of time left and more than enough time to pack my things. Well, its not as if I do have much...  
  
Everything the young man possessed was three pairs of cargo pants, several t-shirts and some muscleshirts, some undergarments and socks. He also had a toothbrush and toothpaste, a razor blade, some shampoo and soap. All that was left was his favorite jacket, a black leather jacket which he thought that simply looked cool and he felt comfortable in it.   
  
Besides that he had a collection of pictures on which his parents smiled warmly at him and one picture of his old home. This part of life he had lost when his house had stood under flames and his parents hadn't managed to get out in time. The remembrance to that incident still hurt and he thought that it'd always plague him, because in some way he felt guilty for this incident, although he didn't know why he should.  
  
He knew that his parents would never blame him for it, because he wasn't responsible for it but an accident at the neighbouring house where a gas pipe had exploded, but he still felt that he would have made a difference if he only had warned his parents earlier, when he realized at that time that the other house had been burning. In a strange way he had managed to come in grips with the feeling of guilt, since his elder aunt had taken him in and provided for him since he had been 15 at this time and still had to go to school.  
  
After he had finished school he started his car mechanic's training and moved out of the flat he had shared with his aunt to whom he didn't have a real connection. And now he was going to leave Germany for the US, where destiny or so he thought awaited him.  
  
At 7 p.m. he was ready to go and after he checked the little flat thoroughly whether he had forgotten anything or not. Luckily he had everything with him in his big seabag and a little backpack. With a last glance he shut the door to the flat for a last time and went to the houses' owner, an old but nice man and informed him, that he had checked the flat and was there to return the key.  
  
Surely the old man knew that this fine young man was leaving since he had been informed about this development by him some days before. He then even had been so generous to return the last monthly fee for the flat to the young man and had wished him good luck for his life. This time repeated his blessings for the young man and bid him farewell. Touched the young man thanked him very much for everything and wished him a long life, before he finally left the house for the last time.  
  
The drive to the airport took one hour. Arriving there he made a beeline to the check-in hall where he handed his seabag in. The destination was Orlando, Florida and after he was finished at the check-in he went to a book-shop at the airport and browsed the shelves for interesting books, since he hadn't anything to read with him. After an hour's worth of searching he had bought two interesting books : Robert Jordan's The Crossroads of Twilight and Terry Goodkind's Naked Empire both were books of his favorite authors. In addition to these he also had bought some magazines that dealt with cars.  
  
Now, since he was ready for the flight, he went to the airport's Pizza Hut and ordered a Pizza with lots of cheese on it. He took some time to finish his meal since he was in no rush. After he paid for it he checked his purse and discovered that he had at least still two hundred dollars with him.  
  
Well, that should be enough to get along for two, three days... I just hope that I'll find work soon when I arrive. Hm, if I remember correctly then it'll be 11.30 p.m. here when I depart but it'll be 5.30 p.m. in Orlando... First stop would be New York at approximiately 2.30 a.m. then I'm gonna have to take another plane to Orlando, Florida, which is probably going to take another 4 hours... Oh, well it seems that I'm going to arrive there when all the people there are starting their day.  
  
The young man sighed but nevertheless proceeded to the gate at which he'd board the plane to New York. After all it was 10.30 p.m. now. Still half an hour to go, which he spent reading the car magazines until then a voice spoke through the loudspeakers :   
  
"The passengers of the flight to New York, please go to the respective gate and board the plane, thank you. The passengers of the flight to New York, please go to the respective gate and board the plane, thank you."  
  
This was the signal to board the plane and to leave Germany for a long, long time, although he even now made plans to come back for visits, when he could afford to do so. The procedure at the checkpoint was uneventful and he got through the controlling stations without problems, although security has been raised several notches after the WTC attacks. So far it seemed that no one on the plane was going to be given the possibility to handle a weapon in the plane, which made him relieved.  
  
In the plane he seated down in his seat and fastened his seatbelt. Luckily he had been able to get a seat directly at the central lane of the plane so he had easy access to it without having to disturb the other passengers. There were two seats to his left towards the bull eye in the hull of the plane, which were occupied by a noisy couple that was chattering and giggling all the time. The young man nearly scowled at them but refrained himself from doing so, after all they seemed to be happy and very much in love with each other. So he just smiled warmly at them before he took one of his car magazines out and continued to read in it. He even was so immersed in reading in it that he missed the start of the plane but he felt the constant humming of the turbines.  
  
Finally were flying. Well, what's coming next ? Hopefully this flight will be uneventful and unproblematic.  
  
Unlike other people he didn't panick sitting there but he a had a healthy amount of skepticism and worry about the things that could happen. Since the flight was going to suck up a very long time he decided to use this offer to take a nap for the flight's time. Soon he even snored off.  
  
It was not long, or he rather felt that it was not long later that a stewardess woke hm with a gentle nudge at the shoulder. Sleepily he rubbed his eyes and said his thanks to her. It seemed that he had slept the whole flight to New York and the plane was about to land.  
  
The landing procedure was rewarded with a general applause for the flight's captain and he left the plane some time later. Since he wasn't about to stop in New York he proceeded to the gate at which he would board the plane to Orlando. On his way there he had to pass the customs station for foreigners, where he was to hand over his ID and green card.   
  
"Mr. Christian Schell, is that your name ?", the customs officer asked him and he affirmed it.  
  
"Very well, Mr. Schell. Welcome to America.", he added and returned the papers.  
  
"Thank you, officer.", Christian replied, took his papers and proceeded to the gate where the plane to Orlando was going to await him. After an hours wait he boarded the plane to Orlando and used this opportunity to take another nap, until he landed in Orlando and left the plane.  
  
It was early morning when he arrived and the sun stood above the horizon, waking the sleeping city. He proceeded to the baggage station, where he picked his seabag and left the airport. In front of the airport a couple of cabs awaited him. He took one to the city an stopped by at a quite popular café since it seemed to be well visited and was recommended to him by the cab's driver.  
  
Somehow unsure what to do next he stood outside the café, looked at the sign, it was called "At Betty's", until he then entered it...  
  
Somehow it was a shocking sight,because there were quite a lot people inside chattering away together. Slowly he proceeded to take a seat at the bar. He let his seabag fall at the counter and looked around. With a deep breath he sighed.  
  
Seems like that I'm really in America ! God, what an awfully cool country it is.  
  
He sighed once more, before a nice-looking and smiling waitress came up to him and asked:  
  
"Hi, there sweetie ! What can I get for you ?"  
  
"Well, I'd like a coke and something to eat !" He guessed that his accent somehow showed, because the waitress giggled.  
  
"Where are you from ? Your accent is funny !", she exclaimed, giggled one more time and looked at him expectantly.  
  
"Well, you see I'm a typical greenhorn from good ol' Germany !", Chris grinned boyishly.  
  
"Ohhh, that's cool ! Okey-dokey I'm gonna fetch you your order.", she smiled dazzingly, whereas he just sighed content and grinned broadly.  
  
It didn't take her too long, so soon a dish filled with ham and eggs and some slices of bread and a big glass of coke stood in front of him. The smell of the ham & eggs was delicious, so he delved in and praised its taste in the pauses he used to take some gulps from the coke. After finishing the meal he then paid for it and tried to find out whether here was a garage or not.  
  
"Hm, I'd guess that you should try Petey's ! As far as I know he's looking for an hand to help him out, since his last trainee suddenly left him some days ago.", the waitress reminisced and smiled her dazzling smile once more.  
  
Although unaffected by it he couldn't help to grin boyishly and he thanked her for the information. He was abut to ask for the adress of the garage as three cars sped past the café with a deafening roar of their motors. The waitress simply shook her head about it and complained loudly to the man behind the bar, that these guys were way too loud.  
  
He guessed that they were moving 60 mph in a city right now and they miraculously had no police in tow. He was slightly impressed by their confidence but nevertheless turned back to the waitress and spoke:  
  
"Say, can you give me the directions to this garage ? Pretty please, hm ?!", he grinned boyishly.  
  
After she gave them to him he uttered another round of thanks, bfore he picked up his seabag and left the café and went down the road. It took him only about half an hour to discover the garage and he was glad for the detailed direction the waitress back at the café gave him.  
  
The garage was small and way too dusty compared to the one he had worked in in Germany, but he nevertheless entered and looked around. It was nice and cozy although the walls and part of the floor were littered with car junk and some used tools, whereas in another part of it he could see some brand-new replacement parts. In the middle of it stood an American car he didn't recognize at first, which was no wonder because it wasn't sold back in Germany. It was a Chevy family car and he could see wo feet sticking out from the belly of the car.  
  
Every moment now and then they twitched slightly and one could hear clanging noises from the belly. Since he saw, that the hood was open he went there and looked at the motor which seemed to be the cause for the repair, because it was blackened at some places and seemed to miss some cleaning.  
  
"Ho, hooo, ho. Hold it there buddy. What are you doing in my garage ? You bringing me a car to repair ?", someone exclaimed behind him.  
  
Startled he turned around and saw a stout but nevertheless healthy looking man donned with an blue overall looking at him, whereas the man stared quite rude at him. It seemed that he had been too absorbed in the inspection of the motor, since some time had passed already and the man whom had been under the car now stood there staring at him.  
  
"Well, boy ? What are you doing here ?!", he spoke once more.  
  
With a start Chris stammered: "Uh, no sir, I'am not bringing you a car. Actually I just arrived here from Germany and the waitress of "At Betty's" was so nice to direct me here, since I was looking for a garage. She even told me that your last trainee had left you some days ago. That's why I'm here now... Weeellllll, actually there was another reason involved too, heh. In truth I'm looking for a job as a car mechanics. I have already been trained for car mechanics in Germany and I sure do love cars ! Do you think I could work for you ?"  
  
AN: Well folks, did you like it so far ? Review please ! . 


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